What Is Somatic Experiencing™ Therapy?
Somatic Experiencing, a naturalist short term body-oriented therapy modality, developed by Peter Levine designed to support adults and children who have experienced overwhelming stress in their lives from early childhood adversity to chronic ongoing stress, and event-based trauma. It has been especially effective in dealing with post-traumatic stress disorders, panic attacks and even syndromes and autoimmune disorders which usually ellude the medical community such as: leaky gut, chronic fatigue, migraines etc.
We know from a growing body of research that early trauma and ongoing stress takes a staggering toll on physical, psychological, emotional and social health. Somatic Experiencing uniquely addresses these confusing unresolved experiences that gets stored and trapped in the body and brain, whether the awareness of what happened is clear or hidden from consciousness.
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.” — Peter A. Levine, Founder of Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Practitioners help guide people to safely and slowly release this stored energy, and learning how to turn off the ongoing threat alarm that can often cause severe dysregulation and dissociation. As a Somatic Practitioner, my goal is to support greater regulation and resilience in my client’s nervous system so his/her energy is freed up from feeling stuck or frozen in past negative experiences to be more available in the present moment, with more openness to live differently.
Together with the client, we listen to the somatic (body) signals/narrative, identify unmet needs, and highlight helpful resources for them. We also help them to deal with uncomfortable sensations by practicing settling techniques and allowing enough time for the nervous system to discharge bound energy and eventually reset.
Somatic Experiencing therapeutic treatments are designed to stimulate a person’s innate capacity to heal, build trust and safety in oneself and others, and increase one’s overall sense of well-being.
